The Gravity of us by Phil Stamper (book review)

My next book review is on this fantastic debut novel by Phil Stamper - The Gravity of Us.

 

(source)

But first, to put this review into a little bit of context (who knows for how long this blog will be read), at the moment there is a huge amount of Worldwide press and interest on Civil Rights and the Black Lives Matter movement. So as this book is based on Nasa's current mission to Mars I wanted to point you towards the awesome book and movie titled Hidden Figures. This is a book and movie charting the lives of a group of awesome black women - Dorothy Vaughan, Mary Jackson, and Katherine Johnson - who were Nasa's human calculators without whom the mission to the moon probably wouldn't have happened. I previously did a blog review here: Hidden Figures, movie review.

And to neatly go full circle, as most of you know we are heading into the last few days of Pride which of course didn't really happen because of our Covid19 lockdown - or as some like to call it a Queerantine - this will probably be the last LGBT title I'll get to review for Pride month.  

In this book we follow the life of Calvin, or Cal for short as his dad is also called Calvin. He has his whole life planned out, college, journalism studies, an internship with Buzzfeed and has been building his social media profile and polishing his journalism skills. He currently has 500,000 followers and does a weekly walk through of New York and what's happening. In the past he has covered local and national stories, politics and elections. He even broadcasts about the hugely popular Orpheus Project - NASA's mission to Mars. 

But then overnight his life is uprooted. His dad is chosen to be the 20th and last member of the Orpheus project and they have to pack up and move immediately. He has to abondon his plans, friends and worst of all his journalism ambitions as StarWatch the company that owns the rights to interviews and publicity for the Orpheus project has a gagging order in place. After a three day drive to their new home they land in the town that has been bought-up for the Astro-families the name given to the families of the Astronauts. Cal, in a moment of last defiance figuring his dad has only arrived and hasn't yet signed the papers and gagging order makes a final broadcast to his fans breaking the news who the final 20th member of the Orpheus Project is. All hell breaks loose as the press & StarWatch descend even before they have unpacked their car. 

Shortly after this mess Cal finds out everything isn't as cosy as StarWatch likes to portray, the other Astrofamiles and Astrokids are not perfect and StarWatch experiencing dropping ratings tries to create drama and excitement - they have full access to the houses of the Astrofamalies and with Cal's exposé they aren't very happy. Cal also meets Leon, one of the only other teen Astorkids in the area and they hit it off. What ensues is a sweet teen romance with enough intrigue and drama to keep you turning the pages.

Before I like to cover the pro's of a book I like to mention the negatives, but, honestly in this debut novel I found none. There is no mature content - the most that happens is two teens kissing so nothing unsuitable for a mature chilld or 12+ reader. One person does loose their life, so I suppose that is a trigger warning but there is not too much detail and the family affected leaves the story very quickly. The only one negative I have is the premise of the book is based on the lives of the family members of the astronauts so I would have liked to learn a little more about them, but that's really it.

The book is really well written and paced. The language is perfectly aimed at a teen market but also an adult that likes NASA, geeky, LGBT stories will also enjoy. It delves into the World of a teenager and their interaction with Social Media and the press. Cal's dad doesnt understand what Cal is messing about with online - it's not a proper thing/job is it? ... the mechanics of social media, online press, modern journalism and followers, I imagine this reflects exactly how today's parents think and misunderstand about the digital World today. As mentioned before the book has enough tension and drama that makes you want to continue reading. It's a throughly enjoyable read. There are two moments I love in the book;

Cal considers himself a fixer of broken things (part of his obsession with planning) but he is reminded that he cannot fix ever broken thing but he can makes things a little better.

Also in the early stages of Cal and Leon's relationship Leon is starting to talk a little about his depression and he realises that Cal wants to kiss him. He asks Cal not to kiss him to make him feel better but to instead kiss him showing affection at a later stage. 

I really enjoyed this book and give it a solid 9 out of 10 stars. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

 

John The Captain Ryan

 

Pride Month book review - Wayward Son by Rainbow Rowell

Hi everyone,

As Pride month draws to a close I'll be posting a couple more LGBT book reviews, my latest is ...

Wayward Son by Rainbow Rowell.

Pop on over to my Youtube channal and hear what I have to say ...

I give this book a 7 out of 10 planets.

I hope you enjoy it also. Don't forget to check out the first book in the Simon Snow Series - Carry On, my review can be found here:

Toodles

John The Captin Ryan

We are the Ants by Shaun David Hutchinson (book review)

Hi all,

Whilst stuck at home during the lockdown of Covid-19 I've taken the opportunity to catch up on some reading. Check out my latest review, my fave book so far this year. 

I give this amazing book a rating of ten out of ten. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

John The Captain Ryan

The Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera (Book review)

Hi all,

I'm back !!! but with a little change up, I've been learning how to make video reviews and here's my latest attempt.

This is an awesome book and I hope you agree. I gave it a rating of 8 out of 10 planets.

John Cunningham-Ryan

The Inexplicable Logic of my Life by Benjamin Alire Sáenz (Book Review)

Hi all, I haven’t been blogging for a few months – life has a tendency to get mad at times but I haven’t stopped reading books or binging on Netflix so over the next few weeks I hope to get back on track and catch up on some book reviews.

The Inexplicable Logic of my Life is an amazing book written by Benjamin Alire Sáenz who also brought us Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe which I will be blogged about later in the month. This is Book 5 in my 52-weeks, 52-books challenge.

Plot Summary:

Seventeen-year-old Sal (Salvatore) lives in El Paso, Texas, with his adoptive father, a gay Mexican-American art professor named Vicente Silva. Vicente assumed responsibility for Sal after his mother died, when Sal was just three years old. (The connections between Sal’s mother and Vicente don’t become clear until late in the book, when Sal finally opens a letter his dying mother wrote and left in Vicente’s care.) Although Sal is white, the adoption secures his place in the heart of a loving Mexican-American family, which is headed by the matriarch Sal comes to know as Mima. 

As his adoptive grandmother, Mima refers to Sal as her “hijito de mi vida,” and the adoration is mutual. The warmth of the Silva family magnetically pulls in two other teen characters. Sal’s best friend, Sam (Samantha), is locked in raging conflict with her mom. Another friend, Fito, suffers the effects of a drug-addicted mother and an absentee dad. In order to survive, Fito must hold down two after-school jobs. (more here)

Alternative Book Covers from Goodreads

My tuppence:

There is a huge amount going on and Sal’s best friend Samantha keeps him grounded, their constant communications by text keeping them in contact – they sometimes even text each other when they are in the same room. Sal is dealing with homophobia, losing his grandmother, growing up and all the other stuff that adolescents go through and he’s not doing very well. He is throwing punches and questioning everything. When Samantha’s mother dies in a car accident she goes to live with Sal and Vicente and then the edition of Fito to the mix is fantastic and reinforces to Sal how lucky he is to have a loving and supportive family.

The book deals amazingly with the exploration of self and identity and it’s something we all go through. During the story the love of Vicente’s life –Marco - makes a reappearance. Vicente, once gave up on the relationship with a man he loved when that man said he didn’t want to be a stepfather. At first Sal isn’t in favour of Marco’s return as he knows how hurt his father was but it enables Sal to see how lonely his father is. Sal realises that as he will be leaving for college his father shouldn’t be alone and deserves another chance at love. But central to the story is how we deal with loss, how Samantha comes to terms with the loss of her mother – even though their relationship was always rocky and how Sal deals with losing his Mima when she is diagnosed with late stage cancer – their relationship couldn’t be more different than Sam and her mothers.

There are some great quotes in this book (find a selection of them here) and this is my fave:

(source Bongbong book blog)

Whilst slow moving the book is well worth a read, the way Sáenz deals with the topic of loss and grief is brilliant and heart wrenching. It just keeps you turning the pages. However, this slow pacing style will turn people off and in comparison to other young adult novels it is certainly aimed at the more experience reader.

Benjamin Alire Sáenz (born 16 August 1954) is an award-winning American poet, novelist and writer of children's books. You can read more about him here

Here is another great blog review about The Inexplicable Logic of my Life.

The verdict, a great read for either adults or advanced young adult readers, I give this book an 8 out of 10 planets.

John The Captain Ryan

I’ll give you the sun by Jandy Nelson (Book Review)

A story of two twins, Jude & Noah both of whom narrate their intertwined story of love, life and bad decisions in a realistic heart-breaking way. This is Book 4 in my 52-weeks, 52-books challenge.

Check out the official website of Jandy Nelson here. 

Rather than get straight into the story, just a quick comment about the artistic page scrawlings. Throughout the book some of the important lines are scrawled across the pages (at least in my version; the one with the yellow cover). I really like these, what I call … moments. Like a painting or photo with a shaft of bright light or surprising bright colour, to me, they are an attempt to enhance the story of the twins who are also artists. Another interesting tool the author uses is how Noah files away ideas for future paintings; the author perfectly captures how the mind of some artist’s work. I particularly like this and it reinforces the idea that artists and writers should always carry a notebook with them to jot down ideas and observations.

 

So, the plot.

"At first, Jude and her twin brother Noah, are inseparable. Noah draws constantly and is falling in love with the charismatic boy next door, while daredevil Jude wears red-red lipstick, cliff-dives, and does all the talking for both of them. Years later, they are barely speaking. Something has happened to change the twins in different yet equally devastating ways . . . but then Jude meets an intriguing, irresistible boy and a mysterious new mentor. The early years are Noah's to tell; the later years are Jude's. But they each have only half the story, and if they can only find their way back to one another, they'll have a chance to remake their world". (source Goodreads)

The intriguing thing about the book is how the author tells the story of both main characters, she gives them separate identities and styles but writing Jude’s story at age 16 and Noah’s story at age 13 doesn’t work for me. Some might think it’s a clever tool to tell the story but I didn’t like it at all. Now, I understand it’s difficult to come up with a way to tell a story without relying on the old fashioned flashbacks but in this case, I think the old fashioned method would have worked better. I also much prefer when two authors work together when writing a story focusing on two main characters like Will Grayson, Will Grayson by David Levithan and John Green or What if it’s us by Becki Albertalli and Adam Silvera.

 

Even though telling both stories at different ages is not a game changer it’s still annoying. Like when you notice a plot gap or continuity error in a movie or TV series, to some it might seem like a small inconsequential thing but to others it causes a distraction that keeps gnawing like a dripping tap. But, this is the only negative thing I can say about the book.

It’s an interesting story told in a refreshing way and you keep turning the page to get to the juicy bits;

* What’s the story with Jude’s premonitions?

* How did Noah not get into art college when Jude did?

* How did their mother die?

* AND FOR GAWD SAKE when would they speak to each other and sort things out?

I’m not going to spill the beans, you’re going to have to read the book yourself to find out which (if any) of these plots will be resolved. All of the characters are relatable and real, the author does a fantastic job of allowing the reader to empathise with each of them, whilst the twins do horrible things to each other at the end of the day they’d still give up so much to make the other happy and eventually forgive each other. It’s also a great story following the lives of two artists, Noah confident in his abilities and Jude not so much but the way their individual struggles are captured is artistic and real. For me Jandy Nelson perfectly captures the inner thoughts and worries most artists (and writers) experience at some stage. The book covers all the usual topics; love (hetro and homo), heart break, death, loss, life struggles and forgiveness. All of these stories are well told and avoid cliché except for the homo relationship of Noah but the artists can’t get everything right. The book has won numerous awards and been shortlisted on several occasions. The highest accolade being the The Michael L. Printz Award for Excellence in Young Adult Literature, awarded in 2015 by the ALA.

This is a book I will definitely be rereading to see can I get over MY  flashback issue, now that I know the ending I should be able to concentrate more on the style and content. The fact I’m willing to reread a book is probably incomprehensible to some people but to me it’s a high accolade, I read so much but there are few books I will reread. For now I’m giving this book a solid 8 out of 10 planets. After a reread it may climb to the lofty heights of 9.

John The Captain Ryan

The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee (Book Review)

A fantastic tale of a spoiled bisexual British Lord romping around Europe – a great story where the aristocracy of the 18th-century meets Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda. This is Book 3 in my 52-weeks, 52-books challenge.

In The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee  we follow the adventure of Henry “Monty” Montague who was born and bred to be a gentleman, but he was never one to be tamed. The finest boarding schools in England and the constant disapproval of his father haven’t been able to curb any of his roguish passions—not for gambling halls, late nights spent with a bottle of spirits, or waking up in the arms of women or men.

As Monty embarks on his Grand Tour of Europe, his quest for a life filled with pleasure and vice is in danger of coming to an end. Not only does his father expect him to take over the family’s estate upon his return, but Monty is also nursing an impossible crush on his best friend and traveling companion, Percy. His sister Felicity is along for the ride – she is also one to buck convention, always has her head stuck in a book and wants to become a scientist or doctor when society expects her to be a “lady”.

We embark on a break-neck speed journey around Europe detailing a “Grand Tour”; the aristocracies 18^th century version of finding who you were, “one” got drunk, slept around and had fun. "One" spent the time schmoozing with other well-to-does around Europe, nurturing family ties and basically having a ball. But for Monty this goes spectacularly wrong – he gets drunk and rips the bodice from the wrong lady, he has to escape naked across a well manicured lawn but not before he steals a memento, something small that won’t be noticed – except it proves to be very valuable.

What follows is a marvellous chase death-defying chase; they are attacked by highwaymen, lose their chaperone, get jailed, drugged and then kidnapped (kind-of) by pirates. Then to Venice, a sinking island and finally … hang on there … you’ll have to read it yourself. Along the way in this historical accurate story we learn about class & racism in a unique and interesting way. We feel Monty’s heart breaking when he learns about his best friend – Percy – who has epilepsy and when their tour ends will be locked up in an insane asylum. They’ve never slept together but have loved each other for many years; their life and awkward love for each other is intelligently intertwined within this story – will they, won’t they – will it ruin their friendship – and will Monty find a cure or stop Percy being locked up for the rest of his life.

This book for me straddles the YA book World really well, for an experienced reader; it’s over 500 pages long, it’s historically accurate and the plot meanders a little but it’s still a fantastic, perfect for an avid reader that isn’t quite ready for the massive epics like Stephen King’s The Stand, or fantasy epics by Brent Weeks or Brandon Sanderson.

It’s an exciting read with a vivid picture of 18^th century Europe, a forbidden romance and pirates, frankly what else do you need. It’s definitely the case that the three main characters were born in the wrong century and this book if read in the classroom would generate lots of interesting debates and discussion.It is very well researched and written. 

The verdict, a great read for either adults or advanced young adult readers, I give this book an 8 out of 10 planets. For me there was a little too much history and not enough attention given to the plot, but, then again, I always hated history in school. It’s still a great read.

John The Captain Ryan